


Nephilim at Sea

by Slytheringirl98



Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Adorable Monkey D. Luffy, Different Devil Fruit Monkey D. Luffy, M/M, Might have crossdressing, Smart Monkey D. Luffy, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-06 19:16:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18224315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytheringirl98/pseuds/Slytheringirl98
Summary: Luffy finds a weird fruit on the streets, which changes the course of Ace's, Sabo's, and Luffy's life. Now part devil and angel what Luffy travels the sea with the dream to be King!





	1. Luffy ate what?!

**Author's Note:**

> The term is from dmc, where they are half devil half angel. I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking of having Luffy crossdress. This was originally posted on my fanfiction.net nightwolf111798. I have had an author's block on The End is the Beginning, so I've been going through my old fics and editing them to post them on here. Now for anyone who likes this, I am looking for someone to run ideas by for this fic, please message me on tumblr nightwolf111798. Thank you.
> 
> P. S. I don't own One Piece!

It was a sunny day in the East Blue, which was normal for the calmest of seas. On one of the island's, called Dawn Island, was an eccentric place, it was actually considerably odd for the safe sea. There, in Fushia Village, lived a boy named Monkey D. Luffy, who had black hair, wide eyes, tan skin, a scar under his left eye, and a large grin on his face. He was walking to a bar, called Party Bar, that he went to quite often and was excited to talk to the pirates that were here for the time being. 

They were fun to listen to as they told their adventures, and tales about the pirate king. Though, he was kinda annoyed that they wouldn’t take him on any adventures or let him join even after he showed them that he was not scared of pain by stabbing himself in the face. Also the captain, Shanks, kept teasing him saying how he was still such a kid. But he wanted to be a pirate so bad!

As he almost made it to the bar, he stopped and looked down at his feet. There, right on the ground, sat an odd looking fruit that was shaped like a large raspberry. It had silver swirls that were outlined in deep crimson and had a stem that was a purple so dark it was almost pitch black. The child picked it up to eat it, but paused as he remembered that Makino, the bar maiden, had told him to always wash off fruit first before he ate it. Sighing glumly at not being able to eat the food, Luffy kept the weird fruit in his grasp as he continued his way to the bar.

When he got there, the small child could already tell that the pirates already were drinking and partying away. Since they paid no attention to him, he went to the back where the sinks were. “Hi Makino!” Luffy greeted loudly as he washed off the mysterious fruit. 

“Hello Luffy, what are you doing?” The bar maiden asked.

Luffy smiled brightly at the green haired woman and said, “I found some fruit, and so I’m gonna eat it as a snack before lunch!” When he deemed it clean enough, Luffy made his way to his bar stool and went to eat it. Shanks, the pirate captain of the Red Hair Pirates was next to him and glanced his way for a moment and went back to the conversation he was in with his first mate Benn Beckman. Only for him to pause as his brain finally processed what Luffy had in his hand. Before he could even turn around he heard Luffy gag, “Bluuhhgg! That was disgusting….”

“Hey Anchor, what did you just eat?” Shanks said calmly on the outside while anxiety started to rise internally.

The boy looked at his idol in confusion before replying, “Oh, ah, it was this weird fruit I found! I thought it would be tasty, but it was really nasty!”the boy pouted cutely, though no one would say that out loud, they were pirates after all.

Nervousness starting to show on the Yonko’s face, he gulped, “Was this fruit oddly shaped, and did it have swirls on it?”

“Yeah, I found it on the ground on my way here!” Luffy grinned

By now all Shanks could do was smack his hand on his forehead as he groaned in apparent despair. “Luffy, you idiot!” Shanks shouted at the boy and rapping him on the head.

“What? What did I do wrong?” Luffy whined while rubbing his sore head, glaring at the pirate captain.

Sighing Shanks calmed down, then asked Benn to go get him a certain book off the ship. When the man nodded and left, Shanks turned back to the kid, who was pouting at being ignored. “Listen anchor, I’ll be frank, I think you ate a Devil Fruit.”

“What’s a Devil Fruit?” Luffy tilted his head that made him look adorable with the look of confusion on his face.

“A Devil Fruit, is a fruit that gives powers to a person who eats one.” At the boy’s look of excitement he continued, “Though you can only eat one, for if you eat more than one then you’ll die a painful death, and there is also the fact that those with Devil Fruit powers are cursed to never be able to swim again.” At this realisation Luffy whined in dismay. By this time Benn had come back giving the book to his captain. Shanks thanked the man and then went back to his explanation, “There are three types of users of the Devil Fruit. First is the most common, which are called Paramecia and it gives the user abilities that can affect their bodies, surroundings, or they can make material. I actually have one with me. It’s the Gum-Gum Fruit, which essentially makes the person who eats it body into rubber. After that there is the Zoan types, which allow the user to transform into a creature. Then the rarest is the Logia, which lets the user can turn into an element. To be honest though I think the subcategory for the Zoan types, called Mythical Zoans, can rival the rareness.” He smiled as he saw Luffy struggle to comprehend what he was being told, but was slowly understanding. Shanks then gave the book to Luffy, “I want you to look through these and tell me which devil fruit looked like the one you ate.”

Luffy nodded before opening the book and began his search. Shanks just sighed and rubbed his weary face. Makino seeing this asked him, “Is it such a big deal if he ate one of these Devil Fruits?”

Shanks looked at the woman, smiling sheepishly, “It’s not so much a big deal, it’s more of the fact of what the kid’s power will be. Some on their own is harmless, but others, if not learned to control, can be very dangerous left alone. Especially logia types! I cannot, in good conscious leave Anchor here if he could be a danger to anybody else.” He explained.

Then whatever Makino was going to reply with was cut off as Luffy shouted,”I found it!” Shanks rushed over to the boy and looked at the page he pointed at. His whole crew watched as the color in their captain’s face pale considerably. “Shanks are you okay?” Luffy asked nervously.

Shanks once again groaned, “Out of all the ones that you could have found, it had to be a damned Mythical Zoan! Not to mention you found it in East Blue, where it’s nearly unheard of to find a Devil Fruit!”

His whole crew gasped, and his sharpshooter, Yasopp, asked, “What zoan is he?”

Looking at his crew he sighed, “He apparently ate the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nephilim. What’s worse is that it says that while the last user gave a picture of the fruit, they did not tell its abilities.”

Benn looked at the Yonko, “So what are you gonna do, none of us know how to teach a devil user control, especially not a zoan user?”

Shanks frowned in thought, when an idea suddenly came to mind. But before he could share his idea, the doors to the bar busted open, and with it a group of nasty looking men strode in. One of them even announced, “Make way for the Scourge of the Mountain, Higuma!”

The man in question looked around only to sneer at the sight, “So these are pirates, huh?” a tense silence followed as the mountain bandit went up to the bar. “No matter,” turning to Makino, he stated, “woman, I need some ale for my men. I think ten barrels will be enough.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but we’re fresh out.” Makino said nervously.

Higuma scoffed, “ So am I supposed to believe that these pirates are drinking water?”

By now Shanks had turned towards the bandit. With a wide sheepish grin he said, “Sorry, it seems that my boys and I ran the place dry. Here you can have this bottle, it’s unopened.”

The man looked at the red haired captain and made to take the bottle, only to rear his fist back and smashed the bottle, getting the liquor all over Shanks. He then proceeded to speak, “I’m a wanted man, with a bounty on my head….one measly bottle is not enough for a man of my value.” Higuma finished gloating, all the while tensions were running high. The whole bar had gone quiet, all the attention now on the pirate captain.

Shank, dripping in alcohol, just sighed, “Look at what you did, now the floor is wet. Makino if you have a rag I’ll clean this up.” The woman herself went around the bar to help dry off the Yonko just told him to not worry about it.

The ragged mountain bandit grew angry at being ignored and pulled out his sword, before slashing the counter beside the pirate. “If you like cleaning so much, then why don’t you clean this?” he growled out as he turned. “Come on, a bar with no liquor and a bunch of pansy pirates is not where I want to be.” Higuma scoffed before exiting the building.

The whole place sat in tense silence for a while, when suddenly all the pirates started to hysterically laugh, even Shanks. “Hahahahahahaha, he showed you captain!”one pirate said, and soon everyone of Shanks crew chorused in. 

Luffy who had been stewing in anger as the whole finally blew, “What the hell was that?!” All the while he steadily ignored the heated feeling that was growing.

Shanks just gave the kid a smile, “Ah,what’s the matter anchor?”

“How can you just let that guy walk over you like that? What happened to you being a great pirate captain? I thought you-aaaahhhhh!” Luffy’s tirade was cut off as he shouted in terror when he suddenly was consumed by silver flames. This caused everyone to remember what happened before the mountain bandit came in, and start to panic.

Shanks called out to Luffy, “Anchor! Don’t panic, your Devil Fruit abilities are just activating because of your emotions.” Luffy hearing this relaxed somewhat, and just waited until the silver flames diminished. What everyone saw had them completely floored and awed. 

Luffy had changed, and the most noticeable features were the dark purple horns curling out from the sides of his head upwards, a tail that started where Luffy’s tailbone ended , and the silver feathered wings with the tips being the same purple. The people closer could see that the boy had gained claws and had a hint of fangs poking out from under his upper lip. Shanks attention was one Luffy’s eyes, though. The iris was a deep crimson and his pupils were black outlined in silver and were slitted like a cats.

By the time everyone had taken in his new appearance Luffy spoke, “I’m kinda tired now….” when he was again consumed by silver flames. When they were gone the boy was normal, and slumped over the counter unconscious. Shanks picked the boy up and handed him to Makino who took him to one of the spare bedrooms above the bar. 

Turning to his first mate he told Benn, “Make sure we have enough stocked up to make a three day voyage to the next island and back.” 

“What’s your plan captain?” Benn asked him curiously.

Shanks sighed, “I need to get in contact with an old rival, but I cannot use the Den Den Mushi on a Marine protected island. Also there are some things there we need to get anyways.”

“Ah, so you’re gonna ask the old man to help?” Benn asked, well rather stated.

Shanks nodded his head, “Like y’all said, we aren’t able to deal with something like this. They are and I know that they’ll look after him. He’ll be in good hands.” He then went to Makino and told her that they needed to make a quick voyage, but should be back within the week. After that they left quickly as they wanted to get back as soon as possible.

*Next Island Over*

Shanks had gone ahead of his crew once they had docked. He needed to find a safe place to call the other and older Yonko. As he walked through the open market he paused at one of the jewelry stands, looking at the earrings. He then remembered the only other piece of information about Luffy’s ability.

Other Facts: It is unknown why, but it is said that if the user of this Devil Fruit wears anything made of sulfur, it will help control the user's transformation. Rather it makes it so that the user does not transform out of errant emotions.

Shanks zeroed in on a pair that were small dangling ones that had a small golden colored ball at the end. He was gleeful when he left the stand with a pair of sulfuric earrings, and finally went to the safe calling point. He sighed when the den den mushi he was calling finally picked up. “Hello Mar….”

“What do you want Akagami?” the male voice of Whitebeard’s first commander grumbled.

“I need to speak to your captain.” Shanks stated blunty.

“You can talk to him in person!” Marco growled out clearly irritated.

Shanks just sighed again, “Normally I would, but the….situation is delicate, and….” swallowing his pride he gritted out, “...I need his help. Your help too, now that I think about it.”

This had made Marco pause in shock. For the whole time that the phoenix zoan user had been acquainted with the red haired Yonko, he has never asked for help. So he surprisingly went over to his captain. The giant man looked down questioningly at the blond.

“What is it my son?” he asked in concern.

Marco held out the den den mushi saying, “Akagami called, he….asked for help”

Now even more concerned he took the call, “This is Whitebeard speaking, what do you want brat?”

Shanks replied quickly, “Listen old man, you know I took a vacation of sorts down in East Blue right. Well, I’m in a bit of bind. The island I’m currently staying at, Dawn Island in the Goa Kingdom, has a place called Fusha Village. There is a boy there that I met, a real interesting one he is, and he unknowingly consumed a Devil Fruit.”

“What has this got to do with me?” The giant man grunted.

“The thing is, the Devil Fruit he ate was a Mythical Zoan Fruit. The Human-Human Fruit Model:Nephilim. I can’t let the boy stay here with such a dangerous ability with no control, but my crew and I have no knowledge with how to deal with this sort of ability. If it was almost anything else I would have him learn on his own, but he could accidentally hurt the people here if he goes unchecked and untrained.” Shanks panted slightly as he finished his small rant.

Newgate hmmmed, before speaking again, “So since one of my sons is has a Devil Fruit ability that is similar, you want me to take the boy in.”

“If you do this Whitebeard, I’ll owe you. Please, do this!” Shanks said nervously. He knew the man probably would do it anyway, but he had to let them know how important this was.

Whitebeard himself was slightly shocked at the Yonko. He knew how much of a blow to the man’s pride that took. This kid obviously meant a lot to the man. “Do not worry brat I’ll come get the child. What’s his name and is there anyway to contain the boy’s abilities till we get there?”

Releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Shanks smiled, “His name is Monkey D. Luffy, and yes I have a temporary solution. It should hold until you arrive. Oh, when you do, just go to the Party Bar and ask the woman Makino where the boy is. Tell her that I sent you to get him.” and with that the two Yonkos said their goodbyes and ended the call. Shanks smiled in relief and went to gather his crew so they could get back quickly.

*On Moby Dick*

Whitebeard himself chuckled as the call ended looking at his first in command. “My son, it seems that soon we’ll have a guest on board and you’ll have someone to train.”

“What?” Marco asked.

“Go tell your brothers and sisters, we are setting sail to the East Blue!” Whitebeard commanded as he got up to go sit on his throne out on the deck. There was a change in the wind, and he could tell life was going to become real interesting soon.

*With Shanks*

Shanks grinned as he saw the docks of Fusha Village. As they began docking, though, uncertainty began to well up as he did not see anyone at the docks to greet them. Not Makino, not the crazy old mayor, not even little Anchor. His boys, sensing his distress hurried with anchoring the ship, and left with their captain to find out what was wrong. What Shanks did not plan to see was the same ugly ass mountain bandits from the bar in the middle of the street beating little Luffy.

“So this is why no one was at the docks to greet us.” Shanks said in a calm manner that suggested slight amusement. It belied the fact that inside his blood began boil as soon as he saw the kid on the ground looking worse for wear.

The kid himself looked at him and yelled, “Shanks!” and he could hear the relief in the boy’s voice. The boy then turned to the bandit and yelled, “Let me go you mountain monkey!”

Higuma just sneered and put his sword up near his neck. “Don’t you dare move this is between me and the kid. He is the one that started it!” 

Shanks did the exact opposite and began walking towards the pair, “You know, I’ll let you call me names, throw food at me, hell even spit on me. But I will never forgive you for hurting my friends!” He then had to stop as one of the bandits held a gun up to his head. Looking as calm as ever he said barely above a whisper, “Are willing to bet your lives.”

Higuma only had the time to scream “What!” before one of Shanks’s guys shot the guy in the head. Higuma paled considerably and stammered out, “That’s playing dirty!”

Shanks smirked at this, “Playing dirty? We’re pirates what did you expect. A one on one duel?” By now the mountain bandits were pissed.

Higuma yelled out, “Kill them all!” and the other bandits charged, but only got so far as Benn used the butt of his rifle to knock all of them out in one hit. Higuma was shivering by now, and in a fit of terror grabbed the boy under his foot and held him in front of him as a shield and hostage. “You’ll never take me!” he shouted before throwing a smoke bomb and running off….with Luffy.

All the pirates coughing because of the smoke were distracted, which means when the smoke cleared Shanks shouted nervously, “Oh no! He took Luffy!” Which led to them splitting up to find the boy.

*With Luffy*

Luffy struggled in the mountain bandit’s grasp as the man cackled as he said, “They’ll never think to look for a bandit out at sea.” He turned his attention from the receding shoreline to the boy in his grasp. “Now what to do with you?” Higuma smirked. By then Luffy could feel the same sensation he got before he transformed, and was trying to hold it back. But it was no use, and he was engulfed by the silver flames again. “Gaaahhh,” the captor yelled as he was burned by the flames and subsequently dropped Luffy into the water. As he watched the kid struggle to swim all he said was, “Well, I won’t have to deal with you now.” before the little dingy he was on started to rock violently back and forth. Turning around Higuma could only gasp as he met his fate as a giant sea king devoured him.

Luffy himself, could on think about how weak he felt in the sea, and now had to worry about the local sea king charging at him. Bracing at the fate that was surely to come he was shocked when and arm wrapped around him pulling him out of the way as the sea king dove out of the water seconds later. Looking up he saw Shanks, who was glaring at the now petrified sea monster.

“Leave.” Was the only command the Red Hair pirate captain said, and the monster left frightened. Luffy then started to sob, burying his face into Shanks soaked shirt. “Luffy it's okay, there is no need to cry.” Shanks tried comforting the boy.

“B-b-but Shanks, your arm!” the scared boy cried bringing attention to the fact that his left arm was now gone.

Shanks was as calm as could be as he replied, not giving anything away about how much pain he was in, “But Luffy it was just an arm, you’re more important than that.” But Luffy just kept sobbing even as he was still in his zoan form, and as Shanks crew got a boat out to them.

*Later That Week*

Luffy smiled as Shanks nealt down to look him in the eye, “Remember Luffy, keep those earrings in till Whitebeard and his crew get here.” Shanks told him.

The boy pouted slightly, “Can’t I come with you?”

Shanks looked seriously at him for a moment before he busted out laughing, “Yeah right, like I’d let a kid like you join!”

Getting angry Luffy shouted, “Oh yeah, like I’d ever follow you! One day I’ll be the captain of my own pirate crew that’ll be better than yours, and I’ll become the greatest pirate ever! I’ll become the pirate king!” At the end of his rant he was panting out of breath. He was shocked when he felt something being put on his head and reached up to feel a certain strawhat.

Shanks grinned at Luffy as he put his hat on the kid’s head, “Then it’s a promise. One day when you become a great pirate, you can give this back to me, until then keep it safe for me, as it’s my treasure.” The boy couldn’t help the tears that were running down his face as the Red Hair pirates sailed further and further from the shore line.


	2. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy contemplates, the Whitebeard Pirates arrive, and something changes!

Luffy sighed as he sat on the edge of the cliff looking out across the sea. It’s been six months, a half a year, since Shanks left and now as time moves on he wonders where those pirates that were suppose to come get him were. Despite the fact that he had to leave, he didn’t want to anymore. Well, at least not without the two boys he had been introduced to, a month after he gained his powers. Sighing again, Luffy thought about how much has changed since time has passed. It seemed like it was just yesterday that his grandpa Garp came to take him to another part of the island. 

When the old war hero heard about Shanks being in his island he had come down and dragged Luffy off to the woods that is on the island. It was big with oddly huge animals. Then he introduced him to some resident mountain bandits. It kinda pissed him off, but he knew better than to argue with his grandfather. It went something like this.

****FlashBack****

Luffy grumbled as he glared at the mountain bandit, Dadan, then at his grandfather. He wanted to stay with Makino, not stupid mountain bandits.

“Now, don't give me that look Luffy, this is for your own safety.” Garp stated. Luffy didn't respond, just glared harder, making Garp sigh. He then turned back to the female mountain bandit, “He is staying here for now on, that is final or I can take you in. The choice is yours….” Of course that had Dadan agreeing. Looking around Luffy noticed a boy walk in. He had dark shaggy hair, round face with freckles splashed across it and was dragging a dead boar behind him. What caught the younger boy’s attention though was the look in the boy’s eyes. They were hard, with self-hatred, pain, and loneliness. When the boy met his gaze, Luffy could feel the shift, it was a bond. What kind the halfie did not know.

That was something he found out after Shanks left. He could feel the bonds of others and his own. An example would be his and Makino’s. Their bond feels warm and slightly protective, but not overly so. It was a sibling like bond, and he could still feel it. One odd bond he could feel is the one he had with the ocean. He could feel how it loves all its sons and daughters that sail the sea, even the ones with devil fruits, but he could also feel something deeper about it. It was like every time he got near the beach it greeted him like an old friend. The bond he felt with the older boy was different than those two, but it also felt incomplete.

“Ah Ace! There you are, come here I want to introduce you to someone.” Garp stated loudly. The boy, Ace, turned his stare on Garp, and became then more angry. Garp either didn't notice the look or ignored it as he said, “Ace this is your new brother, Luffy!” Then he pushed Luffy forward. Ace looked at him, and Luffy could still see the anger, though a spark of curiosity was there as well. Though, Luffy could tell most of the anger was not only at the world but at himself. One other ability Luffy gained was his ability to see souls. So it didn't really surprise Luffy that much when instead of smiling and introducing himself, Ace spit on him. That was okay, because Luffy could see that even though the boy seemed to hate the world, he still had some innocence. The boy was just lost so Luffy decided then as he watched Ace leave that he would try to at least befriend the boy if not for the bond then to help him find his way in life.

After Ace left though, Garp left as well stating he had marine business to do. Then Luffy was alone with the mountain bandits. Dadan looked at him with a sneer and said, “Don't think that because Garp dropped you off, then you'll get a cushioned life. If you want food then you'll have to work for it. You'll have chores assigned to you, got it brat!”

Luffy just gazed at her boredly before replying, “So your saying that if I don't stay here then I won't have to do chores that you are to lazy to do yourself?” This made the bandits bristle. But Luffy paid no mind, as he turned around and left the shack. The woods that surrounded him seemed large, so he was sure he could find some shelter to live in. Not to mention he knew how to hunt and fish. He didn't just sit around the last month with Makino doing nothing. It seemed that he had become more observant with his powers, and with these observation skills he became a bit more intelligent. At least, he knew now that anything beyond his comprehension wasn't mystery.

Another thing is his transformation. He found out the earrings only stopped him from transforming from emotional situations, it didn't stop him from subconsciously changing. Makino had found out the hard way when Luffy grew his tail during work, which thankfully was near midnight so most just thought they drank too much. So he really didn't want to stay with people he didn't trust to find out his abilities. It wasn't long when Luffy managed to find a nice empty cave that he could live in. It was big enough that he wouldn’t get hurt if he changed. He then went out and gathered some berries to eat for the night. It was late so he would find some fresh game tomorrow along with some wood to start a fire. So as the sun started to set, Luffy settled down and tried to sleep.

With Ace, he just returned to the bandit’s shack and began eating the cooked meat he killed. As he ate he noticed that the other boy from earlier wasn’t here. “Where’s the new kid?” he questioned. 

Dadan scowled and grumbled, “The little brat left to the woods after Garp left saying that if he didn't live here then he wouldn't have to do chores we were too lazy to do.” This caused Ace to raise an eyebrow in amusement. Someone actually saying that to the mountain bandit without the fear of getting pummeled had balls, he'll give the kid that. Subconsciously he began to gather his portion of meat and walked out of the shack ignoring the questions from the bandits. He didn't know what he was looking for, but decided to just follow his instincts. As he walked through the forest, he thought about him meeting Luffy for the first time. He noticed him when he entered after getting dinner. 

The boy was younger than him, with a round face and a scar under his left eye. He also wore a straw hat that seemed a bit big for him. He didn't know who he was, and was about to demand him to speak when the boy meet his eyes. At first, the gaze was so intense. Ace felt like his very soul was being judged, then just as suddenly he felt a shift. It felt like a hole in his chest shrunk, or got patched up some. It felt like he was a bit more whole. He didn't know what it meant and he didn't like it, so when Garp said he was to be his new brother, he spit on him. To his surprise, the boy didn't scream or get mad. No, just wiped the spit off and gave a small smile. It was then, Ace decided, the boy must be stupid. 

This little stunt was more proof of that statement. So he really didn't know what he was doing trying to find the boy. He, at the beginning, was determined to ignore the boy as much as possible. He still had half a mind to go back, but he really didn't want the boy to die. Something within himself seemed to pain at the thought. So here he was looking for the runaway. It wasn't long, though that he found a cave that he remembered use to be the home of one of his past kills. Looking around, Ace just shrugged and walked in. 

To his surprise, there was the boy looking like he was trying to sleep, but failing. Without meaning to, his mouth opened, “You know, blankets would be much more comfortable than a rock floor.”

Luffy turned his head, not at all startled, “I don't like mountain bandits, and it'll be a cold day in hell before I stay with them as a stupid chore boy. So I think I'll stick with my rocky floor thank you.” He then turned back around trying to get as comfortable as possible. 

Ace just sighed and looked around again, he saw that the boy had scavenged for berries, but didn't have any fresh kill or fire. Which, Ace suppose, is a good thing since it's about to get dark and that's when all the predators come out. But he also noticed that the boy didn't have anything to kill any fresh game as well. Looking at the portion he had, he knew he ate over half already. Sighing, Ace went beside the boy and put the plate in front of him. “If your gonna live here, you'll need supplies. Don't think me giving you this means anything, I won't help you catch or kill your dinner tomorrow, got it. This is just for tonight.” After saying that, Ace got up and left confused as to why he did that.

Luffy, on the other hand, looked shocked. He thought it would take more time for the boy to warm up to him. Short of almost dying he would have believed. So as he sat up and began eat the cooked meat, he gave a small smile at the warm feeling within him. Soon he saw a falling feather which made him look back. Sighing at the sight of his wings he finished his food. When he laid down this time, the wings not only cushioned him from the cold floor, but also kept him warm too. He was able to fall asleep happily. 

After that day, Luffy had gotten nightly visits from the boy who always came with something. Whether it was food or pillows or blankets. By the end of the first month, Ace just kinda moved in. Sure he would still go get fresh kill for the bandits, but if he wasn't out in the woods, he was with Luffy. Because of that Luffy got to meet Ace’s first and only friend Sabo. Luffy could also tell this soul was tormented, like Ace’s, but not nearly as bad. He moved into the cave as well, at Luffy’s insistence. 

Thus, their little trio of misfits began their adventures on the little island. Not long after, they accidentally saw Luffy transform, which caused panic, until he managed to calm them down and explain his past and dreams. This caused both of Ace and Sabo to talk about their ugly little pasts and about how that was the reason they wanted to be pirates as well. By the end of the night, they were all in tears.

A couple days later Ace had rushed into what they called a den with a bottle of sake and three saucers. “If we all drink sake at the same time together, we have an unbreakable bond of brotherhood. Even if we don't share blood, nothing can tear us apart!” Ace explained excitedly.

Luffy pouted, “But Ace, what about us? Our bond is different than a bond of brothers. Can't you tell that?”

The other two looked at the youngest in surprise, before Sabo turned to Ace. “He’s right you know. You have something completely different with him then with me. While to took a while for you to warm up to me, you warmed up to Luffy almost immediately.”

Ace sighed as he nodded in agreement. “Yeah, when I first met him I felt something shift and felt a little more whole.” He paused and looked at Luffy, “Is that because of your nephilim abilities?”

Luffy smiled slightly, “I think what it is, is that it just gives us a push in a direction. Whether we follow it, is completely up to us. It's more like we were going to have a bond anyway, so it just connected us together. The best way to describe us is part of one soul.”

“Soul mates?” Sabo asked tentatively.

Luffy nodded giving a small smile, it looked slightly sad, “I bet Ace feels it, but the bond is not complete either. It's like we are still missing one piece of the puzzle.” This had Ace nodding in agreement with the younger boy.

Then he spoke again, “So how about we take turns drinking with Sabo? If we do it at different turns then we would be brothers with Sabo, but not with each other.” This had the others nodding eagerly. Which is how not even five minutes later all three of them were gagging at the bitter taste of the alcohol. And life went on. They had decided to move and built a treehouse on the tallest tree of the island, and started to get money for their pirate fund again. 

After a dash ‘n dine in town, trouble stirred as Sabo’s father caught sight of them, and Ace accidentally stole money from a notorious vicious pirate Blue Jam. So they decided to stay in the forest instead of going to the trash heap. 

****FlashBack End****

Now Luffy was sitting thinking about when the pirate Shanks had called to come get him would get here. He had a suspicion it was gonna be soon. The winds were agitated and Luffy could tell that something big was about to go down. He sighed as he got up to go to Ace and Sabo. They had to go into the trash heap because a storm had destroyed their tree-house and they needed material to fix it up. As he turned and walked away he didn’t see the giant ship coming into view with a flag that had a jolly roger with a white mustache on it.

****With WhiteBeard****

White Beard looked out at the growing island, frowning as the agitated winds tried to rush him. “There must be some trouble on the horizon.” the pirate captain said to himself. Looking around he spotted a blue flame landing beside him.

“The boat should be at the island within the hour Pops.” Marco said. He was about to leave when Newgate motioned for him to stay.

“Marco, I want you to go ahead to the island. I have a feeling that something is about to happen, if anything happens meet us at the Party Bar.” Whitebeard told him first commander. Marco nodded and they took off in a blur of blue flames.

Marco noticed as he flew above the island that it was broken into many sections. Where his crew was headed, it was a village, but there seemed to be a richer society behind a wall that separates a junk pile. Then there was the forest. What was strange was that in the huge trash heap was that people were just walking around in it like it was a normal day. He was about to pass it without a blink of an eye, when something caught his attention. 

As he got closer to landing, he could tell that there were three kids cornered at one of the junk piles by a well dressed man and some men that looked completely opposite of him. He made sure he was in hearing range, but out of sight of them.

“Come on Sabo, it's time to stop playing around. You need to come back home and play your role.” The well dressed man said in a snide voice. 

Another voice, very younger and a lot more angry yelled out, “But Sabo is happier with us, why should he have to go back with you when all you ever thought of him was as a ticket to getting richer!”

The noble, because someone like that just had to be a noble, sneered at the one who yelled, “I don't have to answer to someone like you. His mother and I gave him life, so he is ours to do with as we please,” then he turned to the blond, “so Sabo come here, you are going to come back home with me.”

Then a different boy spoke, “No! Sabo is our brother now! You can't take him!”

The noble sighed in irritation, obviously annoyed at the two other boys interference. “Bluejam, you can get rid of the other two, but make sure my son stays alive.”

That was Marco’s que to drop as he saw the pirates draw their pistols. He landed on the biggest one, knocking him out instantly, before punching and kicking the others unconscious till only him the kids and the noble were left. The noble looked a mix between terrified and pissed. The kids looked awed at his strength.

“You just killed my help!” The noble shouted in absolute horror, “Now we have no one to set up the fuel so all this trash can be burned before the Celestial Dragon arrives!” Marco was about to speak, but the young blond beat him to the punch.

“You were gonna burn down the Trash Heap! You can’t do that, a lot of people live here, that would not only force people out of homes, but kill countless of innocent lives!” Sabo yelled out in disgust.

The noble merely sniffed, “If they live here then they are just as bad as the trash, and I can do what I have to to make sure that nothing displeases the Celestial Dragon.” Marco narrowed his eyes and finally had enough of his dribble.

Glancing at the kids, he noticed that the youngest was just staring at him while the blond was standing slightly behind the older kid with freckles. Looking back at the noble he spoke, “You know I really hate nobles. Always thinking that because they have money, they own the world.”

The noble glared at him, “You, don’t think I haven’t forgotten about you, who do you think you are, taking on a noble!”

Marco smirked as he turned fully to the noble and let his tattoo be seen. The noble’s face lit up in recognition which quickly paled in terror. “I’m sure you’ve heard of Whitebeard correct? Well I’m his first division commander, Marco the Phoenix.” he stated in confidence. Then he spoke more sharply, “Now, I believe you were about to order two of the kids execution. You should know Pops adores children, and I’m not one to let kids get harmed without punishment. In other words,” he paused as he glared at the noble directly in the eyes, “You just signed your own death certificate.” Then without waiting for an answer he started to pummel the guy. The beating took around ten minutes, but by the end of it, the noble had many lacerations on his body, three broken limbs, and an unrecognizable face. Turning around, Marco was surprised to see the three kids there.

The youngest began to walk up to him, to the other two’s resignation it seemed, and looked in his eyes with an intense look, “So you’re part of the crew that I’m suppose to leave with?”

Marco raised an eyebrow, “You’re Luffy?” he got a nod. “Then, yes I am, my captain had me scout the Island earlier than the others, because I’m the only one in the crew that can fly. I am to go to the Party Bar after I was done.”

Luffy seemed to brighten up, “Yay, let's go see Makino!”


	3. Leaving Dawn Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ASL meet Whitebeard, and Marco becomes a mother hen to three boys in need. Also Marco gets a bit violent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that like my other fic, if anyone wants to draw art or use a concept from my work, you have my permission!

Marco took his time to observe the three boys he saved. While all three were obviously close, he could tell that his new charge and the older brunette had a completely different relationship. Sure, right now it was completely innocent, considering that they were just kids. The look in the older boy’s eyes intrigued and worried him, though. He looked at Luffy like he was his entire world and seemed resigned that he would soon be gone. 

Not only that, but underneath that, there was hatred that was brought by years of hurt. One that someone who started to believe any and all negative comments about themselves and how they were not worth anything. He knew, because before Whitebeard,that was the same expression he wore dailey. To see it in a kid so young had him wondering what kind of life this broken soul lived. He also knew, after one look at both of the older children, that they would be getting extra guests and hopefully new little brothers. 

All the while, Luffy was just thinking about what to do while Ace clutched his hand. He felt several new bonds form when they had met the tall blond man, Marco. Surprisingly, most of the bonds were connected to Ace. This made him extremely happy, because despite him and Sabo helping Ace heal from all the hurt the world caused him, Luffy knew Ace needed more people to care for him. 

They just managed to stop him from blindly hating his father based on people’s opinion who never met the man. Though, the self hatred was still there, and, unfortunately, it’ll take time to heal and piece together his soul from all the abuse it has taken. Hopefully, these pirates would take Ace and Sabo with him. They have to, because if they don’t, Luffy knows that all the work he and Sabo have done would be wasted. Ace would go back to being that hateful, little broken soul, only this time it would be irreplaceable.

That was how the walk to Makino’s bar went. In worried thoughts and resignation as Luffy’s time on the island grew shorter and shorter. By the time they made it to the Party Bar, Ace was practically glued to Luffy while Sabo looked ready to just run away. Marco felt his heart break at the sight and knew that even if he had to, he would kidnap them so they would stay with Luffy. He felt his phoenix side agree which surprised him, because despite having it as part of him for many years, it was rarely interested in his life besides his instincts. The fact that it recognizes the three kids as his made him blush a little. 

He’d never admit it to the others but their teasing of him being a mother hen wasn’t too far off. What the others didn’t know, was that apparently, despite being a fruit, the phoenix was female. It’s why he loved taking care of people despite it making him exasperated. The fact that his phoenix laid claim to these three meant he finally got the kids he secretly always wanted to have. He just hoped Pops was okay becoming a grandpa.

He took a deep breath before walking in the bar, the three kids following him in. He smiled as he saw his captain as well as the fourth and sixteenth commander. Thatch and Izo were admittedly the least threatening of the commanders on the ship besides himself if they didn’t know who he was. As he walked in, he could tell their attention turned to the kids. He turned to the kids and saw the two elders tense while Luffy stared at Whitebeard in complete awe.

Completely awed was what he was. Luffy could feel all the bonds on this giant man. There were so many: old, new, and yet to form bonds. It almost overwhelmed him. The fact that Ace gained more bonds didn’t help. Now he wasn’t scared, because he knew Ace and Sabo wouldn’t be left behind.

So, without fear, he gasped, “Oh wow ossan, you have so many bonds!” Complete silence followed as Ace and Sabo stared at Luffy in horror at calling one of the most powerful pirate captains an old man. The tension broke when Whitebeard began to laugh.

“Gwarara, such a cheeky brat! I’m guessing you’re Luffy then.” Newgate stated rather than asked. Honestly, he knew which one was Luffy before the boy spoke. The straw hat was a dead giveaway. Though, the giant pirate was also interested in the other two. While Luffy seemed at ease, the other two children looked ready to attack anyone that got too close. There seemed to be some old scars that never healed and he always tried to give others a family when they needed it. He was also a sucker for kids. It took him only one glance to decide that he was also was taking them along with Luffy. To be honest, Newgate had a habit for picking up strays.

Luffy just smiled, “Yep, and the blonde is mine and Ace’s brother Sabo while the one next to me is my Ace!” All four pirates took note how Luffy stated that Ace was his as the brunette in question blushed at Luffy’s statement.

“L...Luffy!” Ace stuttered out while blushing furiously. That only gained him a confused look from the other, while everyone else looked at the two in amusement.

“What? It’s true Ace. You’re a part of my soul while I’m a part of yours!” Luffy said simply, as if it were common knowledge. To him, it probably was, since he had such a simple view of the world. 

Sabo decided to save his bonded brother some embarrassment. “Most people would only tell others that if they trusted them with everything. It’s not a light subject and a lot consider it intimate knowledge Luffy.”

“Oh,” Luffy exclaimed in understanding, “but they can be trusted. They feel safe, and many bonds have already been formed. That wouldn’t happen unless they were going to become a big part of our lives!”

Ace just groaned, but he couldn’t help the slight relief he felt at Luffy’s statement. “Luffy, most people can’t feel the bonds others have.” 

That had Luffy’s understanding. “Ah, so only tell people certain things when you and Sabo trust them yourselves?”

Both nodded and said, “Yes!” While all the adults looked intrigued at Luffy, as they were also learning about some of the abilities Luffy’s devil fruit gave him. 

All the while, Thatch and Izo were whispering to each other. “So, how much you want to bet that Pops is planning to take all three of them?” Thatch grinned. 

Izo just eye rolled, “I’m not taking a losing bet. We already know the moment he saw them, he wanted to bring them aboard.” Neither knew that both Marco and Whitebeard heard them.

Whitebeard just chuckled, causing the two commanders to jump a little then look sheepishly at the one they called Father. Newgate just looked at his first commander, but before he could say anything, Makino walked up to him. Looking at the bartender in curiosity, he waited until she spoke.

“If you take Luffy, then you have to take Ace and Sabo. Those boys need each other, and probably would become very destructive if they were seperated. They are a package deal. You take one, you take them all.” She said firmly without fear of the pirates. It gained her some respect from the Whitebeard pirates, since even on their protected islands, people still have trouble speaking to them without awe or fear.

Whitebeard felt an eyebrow raise, assessing the green haired woman before he asked marco, “I don’t know, what do you suggest Marco?”

Marco knew his father was just playing around but he still narrowed his eyes. “If you don’t take them, Pops, I’ll kidnap them myself, yoi.” This garnered surprised looks from all the Whitebeard pirates, even the captain. Normally, it took Marco the longest to become attached, the only exceptions being Whitebeard and Thatch. The fact that he was basically telling Newgate they were taking all three, not asking, showed how much he already cared.

The kids in question watched them with varying expressions. Luffy had his default smile, the one that took up his whole face, while Sabo watched in amusement. Ace had an expression of confused anger, not realizing that most of what was said was a joke.

Whitebeard just laughed again, “Gwarara, that settles it then. We’re taking all three brats with us!”

It was like watching a dam break. Ace and Sabo froze, like they couldn’t comprehend what was being said, while Luffy’s smile threatened to break his face. Soon though, Luffy found himself being smooshed between the two sobbing ten year olds. 

The others looked in concern at the boys. Marco was tempted to gather all of them in a hug, not to mention the feeling of wanting them in his nest, protected and safe. He was saved from any embarrassing instincts when Makino said, “Don’t worry, they are just really relieved. They both knew Luffy would have to leave one day, probably without them. It made it hard on them, knowing that the very next day could be Luffy’s last with them. The fact that you decided to take all three of them lifted a huge weight off their shoulders.” She then gave them a hard look. “That gave you a huge point to earn those two’s trust. Luffy trusts a lot more than Sabo and Ace because he can feel the bonds and the aura of people. But Ace and Sabo have had hard living conditions and barely trust at all. When they do though,” she continued, giving a warm smile, “they will be your family to the end.”

The Whitebeard pirates knew to take the advice wisely. These three boys had lives no one should have. Giving them a family is all the pirates wanted.

Marco went over to the boys, kneeling down. When their attention was on him, he smiled gently. “Why don’t we go get your things, and say goodbye to whoever else you want before leaving, yoi?” Ace and Sabo looked at each other, then at Luffy, before nodding in agreement. Luffy surprised the three by taking Marco’s hand and giving him a megawatt smile. Marco could feel his heart melt all the while his phoenix side trilled happily at seeing their young happy. Ace took Luffy’s other hand while Sabo stood on Marco’s right. They left the bar, not seeing how Izo and Thatch watched them go in amazement while Edward Newgate just smiled in contentment. He knew Marco loved kids and wanted his own. Now he had gained not three sons, but three grandsons.

Marco walked with the three kids as they led him through the trash heap. As they passed by the spot where the fight (he used that term loosely, very loosely) happened, he noticed something, well, someone missing.

“What the hell happened to the bastard?” Ace growled as he noticed that the noble was gone.

Sabo just sighed. “The guards must have came and got him. He’s likely still alive, unfortunately.” Marco could tell he was worried though, so he laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, no matter if he's alive or not, he won’t get to you or your brothers. You are now under Whitebeard’s protection, and that means they would have to go through not only all the commanders, including myself, but Whiteboard as well to get to you, yoi.” He looked over at the other two. “That also goes for you two as well. Besides, if the asshole is still alive, yoi, that means he’ll be severely scarred. Most nobles hate even the smallest scratch. Getting scars basically means they’re imperfect and he’ll lose some status, yoi.”

After that was said, Sabo had stars in his eyes, “That’s even better!” Soon enough they made their way to the forest where they decided to split. Luffy and Sabo would go to their tree house and get their things while Marco and Ace would get their pirate fund. Marco was a bit concerned about letting two kids go off on their own until he learned they lived there and knew the forest like the back of their hands.

When it was just him and Ace, the first commander could tell he was getting tense again without his brothers. He was thinking of a way to break the ice when Ace did it for him.

“Th...Thank you, for saving us earlier.” The freckled boy mumbled.

Marco just hmmed. “Don’t worry about thanking me, yoi. I know you might feel indebted to me but honestly I would’ve done that for anybody, especially kids. You don’t owe me anything, yoi.”

“But...I couldn’t protect them! I couldn’t do a damn thing because I wasn’t strong enough!” Ace cried out, clenching his fists tightly to his side. 

Marco looked at him with astoundment. “Ace, you’re just a kid. You still have more time to grow, to get stronger, yoi.”

Ace seemed to just get madder. “Yeah? Well even if I’m just a child, I still have been able to take care of us just fine!”

“Just because you can take care of yourself, Ace, doesn’t mean you should. Pops believed the same thing about everyone on our ship, yoi. It’s why he gave us a home when nobody else would, yoi.” Marco explained.

That had Ace pausing, looking at Marco with warring expressions, like he was fighting with himself. “Why do you call him father?” He finally asked.

Marco gave him the most serious look, “Because he calls us his sons. Like I said before, everyone else believes we are monsters to the world. Whitebeard believes that all who sail, or wants to, is a child of the sea and gave us a home, no matter where we come from, yoi.”

Ace bowed his head and Marco could tell he was on the verge of tears as he whispered, “For the longest time, I hated my dad. People always said he was a monster and any child of his would be a monster too. I began to believe it for a while. It wasn’t until I met Sabo and Luffy did I start to see differently, that I shouldn’t take the opinions of people who never even met my old man. I..I’m starting to heal but it’s hard. I still have this barricade and I still hate myself. Luffy and Sabo are the only two who know who my father is and they still don’t hate me. That’s why I have to protect them, especially Luffy.”

Marco knelt down to Ace, cupping the boys face and wiping the tears before whispering out, “And we can help you grow stronger so you can protect them Ace. Until then, trust us to protect you and them, so you have the chance to be a child, yoi.” He sighed shortly after. “I won't pester you about who your dad was, so don’t feel obligated to tell me until you’re ready. Just know you can ask me for help whenever you need to and I’ll be there to take on some of the burdens you carry, yoi.” Marco suddenly found himself with an armful of a sobbing ten year old. They stayed like that until Ace was calm enough to see where they were going, but this time, he held Marco’s hand as they walked. Finally, they made it to the hidden treasure, which was a lot more than expected.

Ace chuckled at his surprise. “Sabo and I have been raising it for three years before Luffy came along and began helping us raise more.”

“Where did it all come from, yoi?” Marco asked, looking at all the jewels and beli.

“Some of it came from off the streets, from fountains, on the trash heap,” he started off but then a smirk came over his features, “but most of it came from stealing t from nobles that live in High Town. Kind of like a big fuck you to Sabo’s father.” This gained a laugh from marco. They then began to gather the treasure up in silence. Marco knew normal adults would scold kids for stealing, but he was a pirate and the nobles deserve it. When they were done, they headed off to meet with the others, and to his joy, his new son (not that he knew it yet) held his hand the whole way there. That made Luffy absolutely beam with happiness and he came up to hold his hand as well. Sabo took Marco’s other hand and they headed off back to the bar.

On their way back Sabo asked, “Don’t you want to say goodbye to the bandits, Ace?”

“Bandits, yoi?” Marco questioned as Ace groaned and Luffy giggled. 

“Shitty gramps left me with bandits who raised me, then left Luffy with them after Shanks left.” Ace explained before sighing out, “I’ll just leave a note with Makino as shitty gramps can’t get mad at her.”

‘Well that explains a lot’ Marco thought with a bit of humor. It wasn’t long before they were back at the bar. Ace wrote the letter, while Luffy and Sabo said their goodbyes to Makino before giving his own. They then began to board the giant shhip at the docks when something happened.

“Unhand my son, you filthy pirates!” A familiar voice cried out. The boys tensed as Outlook III and a group of nobles gathered at the docks. Marco saw that the man was bandaged up heavily and his arm and a leg were in casts. Marco didn’t even stop the smirk appearing on his face. 

“And here I thought you learned your lesson, yoi.” Marco drawled out The noble looked at him with a sneer but he could see the hidden fear. “I told you before, Sabo is under Whitebeard’s protection, meaning he falls under MY protection. All three of these kids are MINE to protect, you stupid piece of shit, yoi.” By the time he finished, he was growling. His phoenix side was making him twitch with a threat of his younglings so close. It was funny seeing the bizarre looks of shock on all of his brothers and sisters who were close enough to hear him. Whiteboard just looked on with interest.

Outlook seemed to say something, but his gaze drifted, before his expression changed to sick glee. “No matter, you all can be blown to smithereens instead.”

A bit confused, Marco looked behind him, as did all the Whiteboard pirates. What they saw made most of them curse. It was the Celestial Dragon which, while not a real threat, was still an annoyance.

The Celestial Dragon obviously didn’t recognize who they were because as he got closer, they could hear, “Pirates, in front of me? What filth! Shoot them down this instant!”

“But sir, that’s the Whitebear-” One marine tried to speak.

The Celestial Dragon wasn’t having it though. “Did I ask for you to speak? No! So shoot, don’t speak, or do you want to be fired!” The marine shut up then. This really pissed Marco off. Not only was he threatening his family, ordering their execution (or so the Tenryubito thought), h was also threatening his crew. So when the marine shot the bazooka at the Mobey Dick, Marco immediately changed to his phoenix form and took the shot.

The kids cried out in horror until they noticed the adults weren’t worried. They looked back to see that he was okay and still alive, but the Celestial Dragon looked at him in rage and fear. “How are you still alive?” He went to grab the bazooka but Marco didn’t give him the chance. He divebombed the hull of the ship before flying back to the Tenryubito while the marines tried to keep the ship from sinking. Marco then clawed at the world noble before grabbing him within his talons and flying up with a great swoop of his wings. Once at a certain height, he let go. Marco then began to attack as the man fell from the sky. He took great pride with every screech of pain that escaped the Celestial Dragon’s lips.

By the time Marco landed and transformed back, the nobled were looking at them in fear. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were looking at him like he was their god. His family was just exasperated, and the Tenryubito crash landed through the sinking ship. Finally, they boarded the Mobey, and were off, leaving chaos in their wake.


	4. New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get to know the Moby Dick, as well as some of the crew members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly working on this chapter troubled me a bit. I couldn't find a good stopping point.

Once the three boys border the Moby Dick, each were flabbergasted by the size of the pirate ship. Though, in retrospect, considering the size of said pirate crew and captain, it shouldn't be such a surprise. Whitebeard and Marco watched in amusement as the boys explored the top deck. Luffy was just cheerfully walking over, looking without a care in the world. It was a stark contrast to the two older boys who, while amazed, were still guarded and weary of the others.

The rest of the crew looked at the kids with curiosity. They had left to pick up one brat, how had they managed to obtain three? The scrutiny was either ignored or unnoticed by Luffy, but the other two were getting increasingly uncomfortable by the looks of it. That, to the amusement of Whitebeard, had Marco growl before yelling out, “All right yoi! Stop staring like buffoons and get back to work you lazy layabouts.” Whatever they caught in Marco's tone had the crew paling before scurrying off to do whatever it is they were doing before. 

Looking back at the trio of kids, Marco saw the relieved expression of Sabo and Ace. He just knew the boys would be weary to trust so many people. They trust in him, but only because he saved their life, same with Thatch, Izo, and Pops. They were there to decide to take all three of them on bored. Ace and Sabo only trust them to a certain extent, though. As they said before, those two don't have Luffy’s ability which allows him to read people. He knew that as things are, the three children were most likely going to stick around him or Pops for the most part.

Speaking of Whitebeard, the giant man was sitting in his chair watching the three new residents of the Moby Dick. He looked to be thinking of something. Marco wasn't quite sure what, but he had a guess, as his captain was looking at Luffy. Marco gave small sigh and called out to the kids, “Luffy, Ace, Sabo come on. Let's talk to Pops, yoi, and figure out what happens from here.”

Ace and Sabo looked worried at this, while the youngest kid just smiled happily. They followed Marco to Whitebeard and stopped just in front of him. The old pirate captain grinned at the three kids that gazed up at him.

“So boys, we only made a room for Luffy, so it'll take some time for us to get rooms ready for you two.” Whitebeard said to the three.

Sabo, who was the most mannered out of the three, walked forward a little and bowed slightly, “That is okay Mr. Whitebeard. Ace, Luffy, and I usually sleep together anyways, actually we'd prefer to share a room if that's okay?”

Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh at that, “Gurarararara! Brat it's just Whitebeard or Pops, and if you want to share a room then that is fine as well. We have the room set up in the late Second Commander's room. It hasn't been used for a while and it's right across from Marco's should you need anything at night.” He then looked at Luffy. “I was told that you ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nephilim, but that you were given a way to suppress your powers until we got you.”

Luffy nodded and pointed to his earrings, “Yeah Giant Ossan, my earrings are made from sulfur which prevented me from shifting when in emotional stress. However, I found out that it didn't stop me from partial transformations unconsciously. I had a few close calls.” 

Whitebeard nodded and then thought about it, “Well for now, Marco will be in charge of your three general training. After a while, once we get a good idea what you excel at, we'll assign you each your own teacher while Marco trains Luffy personally with his devil fruits.”

Marco nodded at this then spoke catching the three youngest's attention, “As of right now, yoi, you'll be left alone for a bit to get settled in, and to get use to the crew. I know that unlike Luffy, you two will have a harder time trusting the other adults. Just know you're in no rush, and you don't have to trust any of them if you don't want to, yoi. Also if anyone on the crew does something you are not okay with, or you're uncomfortable with tell either Pops or me. We can't say you'll never see them, but we will try to run interference.”

Ace and Sabo both looked at Marco shocked at what they were hearing. They knew they could trust Marco, but thought that they would be expected to trust the whole crew. It sort of relieved them that they were under no pressure to do so. Luffy just gave a secret grin as he watched the bonds between Ace, Sabo, and Marco thicken. Yes Shanks already was his father figure, so that left one role for Marco to fill. Ace and Sabo didn't have that though, so they were left to decide whether Marco was a father, brother or something else to them. Luffy has a feeling though, Ace and Sabo will follow him when he declares Marco's role in Luffy's life. 

Marco motioned the two ravens and blond to follow him. Leading the way he began talking again, “Though we won't stop you from being kids, you will have some chores to do. Nothing to big, just simple stuff like sweeping and the like, yoi. We all have them, and for a ship as big as ours, it is needed. When we stop at an island, especially if it's not under our protection, you are to be accompanied by one of the commanders, yoi.” He saw Ace and Sabo frown at this and sighed. Stopping he knelt to the ground and looked at the two kids in the eyes. “Why is this a problem?”

Both the boys fidgeted before Ace spoke up, “It's not like we can't take care of ourselves, we don't need babysitters.”

Rolling his eyes, Marco said, “You two are strong for kids, I'll give you that. But this isn't about you needing babysitters. This is about giving you the opportunity to be kids for a while and not have to worry about your safety. Not to mention we will be in the Grand Line, which is a lot different than East Blue. The individuals there are going to be stronger than any pirates, bandits, or marines here.” The two elder boys still didn't look happy, but nodded anyways. Standing back up, Marco finished leading the way to their room.

To the boys delight, there was a bed in the room. The room also had a desk on the opposite wall, and a dresser/drawer along the back wall. A book shelf was bolted down right beside the desk. All in all, it was the perfect room for the boys. The blond man watched them with something akin to fondness. He could feel his phoenix side cooing at how adorable they were feeling a blush rise, he coughed to get their attention.

“My room is across the hall, since the first through fourth division are on the first floor. I'll let y'all settle down for a bit, since lunch is going to be a while.” Marco stated before leaving, closing the door on his way out.

The three boys were finally left alone. Glancing at each other, it only took Luffy's wide grin to have the two older boys squish him into a hug. “Shishishishi, we are still together!”

Tears pricking his eyes, Ace nuzzled Luffy's hair. “You numbskull, like we would've let you leave us without a fight. Sabo's your brother, and you're my soul.”

Sabo giggled, not wiping away the tears of relief that poured down his face, “Look who's being a big sap!”

“I'm not the one with tears falling!” Ace yelled out in a grumpy fashion. His rant was cut off when Luffy started giggling again.

“Sabo and Ace won't ever have to worry about us getting separated again! Big Ossan has many strong bonds and already views us as family. Here we are safe!” Luffy declared, which was followed by awed silence. Luffy, for how dimwitted he might seem sometimes, was actually quite astute. Especially when it comes to seeing someone's true colors.

Both Sabo and Ace looked at each other over Luffy's head. Nodding to each other, they both decided, since they couldn't trust everyone on the ship just yet, they would trust Luffy's judgement. They would try to make connections and attachments. If not for themselves then for this adorable boy who was their world.

Ace gave a rare smile at them both before yawning, “I don't know about you guys, but the bed sure looks comfortable, how about we take a nap before lunch?” This got enthusiastic nods from both Sabo and Luffy. Soon, they got situated and quickly fell asleep.

When Marco came by later to get them for lunch, he stopped in the doorway before smiling. The boys were fast asleep, with Luffy in the middle and Ace and Sabo curled protectively around him. A bit disappointed that he had to break the image, but knew the boys must be hungry by now.

“Oi, Ace, Luffy, Sabo wake up it's lunch time.” Marco stated then startled slightly when all three rose up like something possessed.

Luffy was the first one to react and to move, “MEEEEEAAAAATTTTT!” He was racing off towards the Galley, much Marco's surprise. 

Looking at the other boys who were now beside him he asked, “How does he know where to go, I haven't given y'all a tour of the ship, yoi?”

Ace snickered at this, “If there is one thing Luffy can always track down, it's food. He can probably smell the food from here and is following his nose.”

Sabo sighed a bit, “We should probably head over now, unless we want Luffy to eat all the food.”

“There's enough in there to feed a whole army, how would he eat all that?” Marco questioned, feeling a bit skeptical as they began walking to the galley.

Both the boys snorted at his obvious doubt. “Trust me, when I say that Luffy is a black hole. We aren't much better, but Luffy never stops eating. Not only that, you have to be careful otherwise he will start stealing food off of other people's plates.” Ace snickered. By that time, they had made it to the galley.

Upon entering, Marco almost stopped in surprise as to how much was on Luffy's plate. The shock barely wore off as Ace and Sabo got just as much food. He could also see the disgusted awe of his brothers and sisters as the three started eating like a pack of wild animals, and not only eating all of that food, but asking for seconds. 

Thatch had walked up beside him as the boys were still eating and said, “That's not normal. If this is how they eat regularly then they should be as big as an elephant by now. Since they're not it would suggest that their metabolism has mutated to help them gain more energy than a regular person.”

“Depending on their living conditions, they might have needed the energy. We will need them to have a check up with the nurses.” Marco suggested, giving the boys a concerned look. That look vanished as he saw Luffy give Haruta, the youngest besides those three, puppy dog eyes for the pork on his plate. It didn't take long for the teen to cave and give Luffy what he wanted.

Marco look back at Ace when he heard him snort. “Shouldn't have looked at him directly in the eyes. Nobody can say no when he gives you the puppy eyes.”

Raising his eyebrow, Marco asked, “Then how do you tell him no?”

It was Sabo who answered, “It's not easy, but we learned to always look at something on Luffy besides his eyes. Such as his hair, hat, etc. Anything not his eyes you can gaze at and say no. Just don't let his gaze catch you and you should be good.

Nodding in acceptance, Marco paused a little before saying, “After you three are done eating we will need to do two things before I give you a tour of the ship. The first is a checkup with the nurse. Then we'll need to go down to Izo's room and get your measurements for some clothes.”

“Is that really necessary?” Asked Ace, who looked uncomfortable at the mention of the checkup.

Marco gave a slight sigh, before answering, “Yes, we need to know if you're as healthy as you look, or if there is something that needs to be looked over.”

“Take your food intake, for example. We need to know why you boys look like you barely eat anything when it's clear that you can eat as much food as a small army. This could suggest something to do with your metabolism, which means we need to know how to approach your diet, so you can get all the vitamins, minerals, and such.” Thatch finished the explanation. This brought the slightest more weary attention on him.

Sabo was the one to finally agree to the checkup, though still a bit reluctantly. Finally the attention shifted again as Luffy came back over, “Guys this food is so good! We should've caught some crocodiles so they could have cooked it! I bet they would've made it taste so awesome! Though, it already taste good…” this has Ace and Sabo laughing at the younger one.

It wasn't long after that, that the three boys were done eating and were lead to the nurses. Marco stayed by their sides as they all got checked out and was slightly shocked by what they found.

“Well, despite how much the eat, the boys are not getting all the vitamins boys their age needs. Not to mention that growth has been slightly stunted, something that can be easily fixed with the correct diet. Their muscular for their age, but bones are a bit weak due to poor dieting. From some of the answers that I got from Ace, it seems he's got a case of narcolepsy. Lastly, each of them seem to have had broken bones in the past. They've healed correctly, but it's just something that needed to be said.” A nurse by the name Willow explained.

This got a nod from Marco, before he said, “Alright, if you could make copies of these. Send one to Pops and just give their diet adjustments to Thatch. We need to go now. They need to see Izo, before being shown the ship.”

The boys were released, and followed Marco into the ship, until they stopped at a door. After Marco knocked the door opened, and the boys looked up at...a very pretty man. If they didn't know any better, they would've said the man was a woman. They then remembered that this man was also at the Party Bar with Whitebeard.

“Oh good, your here. Come on in, I can get started.” Izo said, as he shifted to let them in.

As he began measuring, with Luffy first, Luffy said, “I didn't know men could wear women's clothing.”

“Is that going to be a problem little one?” Izo asked, not even seeming surprised or upset at what Luffy said.

In usual Luffy fashion he just tilted his head, “Why would that be a problem? You like wearing it, and that's all that matters right. I just didn't know that some men do.” This had Izo grinning at Luffy.

Izo answered Luffy in kind, “Just making sure. Some people think it's not okay for men to wear what they please. Many had told me that I was an abomination for what I wear. My crew, my family don't care though, so I'm happy to wear what I want here.”

Luffy scrunched up his face in confusion, “Clothes are clothes, judging a person by what they wear, bot who they are is stupid.”

“Never change that frame of mind Luffy, not many people think like that.” Izo stated once he was done with measuring Luffy.

Ace was next, and surprisingly he asked, “Do you still like to be called a man or do you want to be a woman?”

Izo knew that he definitely liked these kids, “I still identify as a man, I just like the dresses. It's more comfortable to me.” Ace just nodded and the rest of the time was passed with light conversation. Once it was Sabo's turn the two older boys had relaxed more in Izo's company and were laughing and giggling at all the stories Izo and Marco were telling of their past adventures.

Once they were done they Marco and the kids began to leave, when Luffy paused. Looking st the boy concerned, Marco asked, “Is something wrong Luffy, yoi?”

Luffy tilted his head, and said, “No, but I need to go ask Izo something real quick.” Before any of them could protest, Luffy had ran back into the room. It only took a few more moments until Luffy and Izo both came out with big smiles on their faces. “Okay, I'm good now!” Luffy exclaimed.

Any questions about what Luffy had wanted to ask Izo was derailed when Luffy asked, “So now we get to see the ship right?” Which got Ace and Sabo excited about seeing the ship as well. Somehow along the way, Luffy managed to get put on Marco's shoulders while Ace and Sabo each held his hand. Something about this had Marco content in a way he never was before. Even his zoan side was chirping happily. The rest of the crew could also tell how happy Marco was.

As the tour continued at the top deck, Whitebeard gazed fondly at the four and thought, “Marco, my son, you are more like me than you realize.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review, I take criticism, but please no hate! Not that I get much hate on ao3. It's what i like about this site, people are pretty nice about their comments. Another note, I have some ideas about this fic, but I need someone's opinion and not many of my friends watch one piece. If you don't mind voicing your opinion to me, message me at nightwolf111798 on tumblr. I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!


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